An email marketing strategy is a sequence of plans and procedures that a marketer may use to promote or market their products by advertising through emails. It is aimed at reaching multiple recipients at once. It is a segment of internet marketing that overpowers marketing via blogs, social networks, etc by building a form of a more personal relationship with customers.
Some examples of email marketing include newsletters, emails regarding the updates of the company, promotion emails, sales emails, discounts, and deals for the subscriber list. Email marketing lets the subscribers have an insight into the company and keeps them always informed about the development of the company and/or new products.
When it is done wrong, it may come off as spam mails, and annoy the customers more. But when it is done right, email marketing can drive up sales to a very high percentage.
Experts even say that email marketing returns an average of 42 dollars for every single dollar is spent on it
While it has its disadvantages of seeming like spam and some others, it does have its own advantages. One of the biggest advantages of email marketing is that emails are more likely to be seen over social media posts. Posting on social media doesn’t promise viewers, but an email will sit in the inbox until the viewer opens it or has the time to clear it out.
Email Marketing Strategies
- Building your own list of subscribers
- Providing an offer that they can’t pass up
- Sending emails other than ads and promotions
- Respecting and putting customers first
- Following the CAN-SPAM Act
- Segmenting your clients
- Monitoring performance reports
- Optimizing for mobile
- Sticking to a schedule
Building your own list of subscribers
It is always better to build your own list of subscribers, be it through articles or ads. Always send a welcome email and make sure it is your subscriber, and also make a good first impression. Never send emails to a random list of subscribers as it may only make your company appear to be completely spam, turning off future buyers even.
If you’re collecting emails live, in an event of some form or face-to-face interaction, make sure that the individuals you collect from are completely aware that they’re signing up to have marketing-related emails sent to them regularly, and give them an option to opt-out of it by unsubscribing any time, as the last thing you need is a bunch of uninterested customers spreading slander about your constant marketing emails.
Providing an offer that they can’t pass up
While collecting emails for your subscribers’ list, provide your customers with an offer that they can’t pass up, like a 20% off or free shipping on their first order. This method is called lead magnet and it works just too well. And to speed up your leads’ doubts and hesitation on this, give them a time period they have till the offer runs out. This will help them make their decision quicker, and thus give you the upper hand at obtaining their email information.
Sending emails other than ads and promotions
Never just send your possible customers advertising emails. Constantly receiving messages about the sales of this or that will only keep customers at bay. Use emails as a way to build a rapport with your customers by sharing suggestions, insights, tips and by wishing them on their special occasions such as birthdays. It will do well to share more information about yourself or your company, which will create a sense of deep rapport within the customers.
Respecting and putting customers first
Always remember to treat your list of subscribers well. Never misuse their email ID, as they’ve trusted you with it. Always remember that the people who have subscribed to you have to have immense trust in you to give you their personal information.
If you want a chance at turning your subscribers into your regular customers, fans, or even promoters, then treat them with respect and always make them feel special.
Following the CAN-SPAM Act
If you didn’t know this as yet, email marketers have to adhere to the law, or in particular, the CAN-SPAM Act. These rules make the unsubscribe option compulsory. They also require you to mention your name and address at the end of the emails that you market with.
Segmenting your clients
Track the responding behavior of your clients and put them into corresponding segments that relate to their behavior. Divide users based on their interaction with your campaign, for example, on how they opened an email but didn’t click on the link, didn’t open the email at all, and separate from those who opened/open it regularly, etc.
Monitoring performance reports
Try to adjust your marketing emails based on the feedback and reports that you receive. Choose any extension to help you with the analytics of your email marketing. Always track the opening rate, unsubscribing rate, email delivering rate, clicking-through rate, spam complaints, etc, and avoid things that cause a fall or rise in these, accordingly.
Marketing analysts are claiming through a study that most people open their emails on their smartphones. So if your marketing emails don’t open to view on mobile apps, it is better to get them optimized to do so, as people rarely take the time to open an already opened marketing email on some other device just because of its computer viewing mode.
Sticking to a schedule
Always follow a schedule if you’re sending our newsletters. Sending out similar emails on the same days across weeks or once every week or month will keep your subscribers posted at regular intervals. This will also help your subscriber list to know when to expect emails from you. Other than this, break the schedule only to wish your customer on their birthday or give them discounts on special occasions related to your company or on festive days. Otherwise, frequent emails may make the unsubscribing list longer than that of the subscribers.
